On Wednesday at DockerCon EU in Copenhagen, Docker and IBM announced an expanded partnership that will make it easier for IBM Cloud shops to containerize apps with Docker Enterprise Edition, and make certified IBM products available in the Docker store.

IBM has collaborated with Docker for years, but the expanded partnership signifies a direct effort by IBM to ease the transition to next-generation infrastructure for its customers. Nowhere is this more evident than with the creation of a version of Docker Enterprise Edition (EE) for IBM Cloud.

According to an IBM press release, the Docker EE for IBM Cloud "will allow customers to easily bring up a Docker environment to containerize their existing workloads and run them on IBM Cloud."

Once a customer uses the new Docker EE solution to bring their apps to the IBM Cloud, they'll be able to rapidly integrate those apps with other IBM Cloud services. This means that these firms have an easier path to IBM Watson insights for their apps, among other tools, the release said.

As part of the expanded partnership, IBM will also be participating in Docker's Modernize Traditional Applications (MTA) Program. The goal of its participation in the program is to offer customers another option to move legacy systems to the cloud and to modernize older applications, the release said.

For companies looking for an easy starting point on their journey to containerizing apps, they can use official IBM software that will be certified for use in the Docker store. Software like WebSphere Application Server, WebSphere MQ, and IBM DB2 database will offer the needed images for containers, with the added security of knowing they're certified for the use case.

As noted by ZDNet's Stephanie Condon, IBM's cloud business has grown since it first connected with Docker. And more inroads to major cloud environments is good news for Docker too, as it gets to align itself with a trusted enterprise brand like IBM and potentially reach new customers.

"This next chapter for us and Docker will focus on our enterprise-strong mission, one that truly aids the customer on their journey to public cloud," the release said.

The 3 big takeaways for TechRepublic readers

Docker and IBM are expanding their partnership with a specific Docker Enterprise Edition for IBM Cloud and a host of other integrations.

IBM will also officially participate in Docker's Modernize Traditional Applications (MTA) Program, in an effort to help companies bring their legacy systems to the cloud.

Certified IBM software will also be available in the Docker store as part of the expanded partnership.

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